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Private member DiscussionAcoustic Builds

Fingerboard extension gap - new build

I'm nearing the end of my first build. I have about 1 mm gap above the top at the end of the fingerboard extension. I've read and seen some guidance to clamp that down while gluing the extension. Others seem to build in a wedge-shaped shim - although it seems that is mostly done with neck resets and not new builds. A straight edge on the frets is just slightly above the top of the bridge so I think my neck angle is good. What are your t…

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Private member
Brad, congrats on nearing the end. It's a good practice to put a straight edge on the part of the top under the FB extension to verify that the top is flat in the fingerboard plane. I learned from R…
Private member DiscussionSELL! SELL! SELL!

Neck Jig For Sale

Stew Mac Erlewine Neck Jig for sale, purchased new in May of 2023. Very light use in excellent condition. More photos upon request. Comes with angle vise, shipping based on location. Available for pickup in Fairfield County, CT. $550.00 Erlewine Neck Jig Workstation - StewMac

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Private member DiscussionAcoustic Repair

1946 Gibson J-45

So this 46' J-45 came to me at a very very low price as it needs extensive repair. Much that I am confident in, cracks, bridge/bridge plate issues, loose braces and the like. There are however a few points that id like the groups opinions on. The neck angle is pretty great and theres a good amount of fret, however, at some point in its past, someone shaved down the neck to a dangerous point, and the back of the neck has toms cracks along…

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Ian Davlin
That break in the neck is probably the truss rod breaking on through to the other side. That would require something radical to become stable. Maybe pulling the board, the rod and then layering some C…
Private member DiscussionElectric Builds

Set-neck pocket and angle questions

Hi Everyone, I’m working through building my first set neck electric, an LP Jr. I had some build questions… - if you’ve built these Gibson style set necks before, did you cut the neck pocket straight and angle the heel of the neck? Or did you cut the pocket at the angle and keep the bottom of the heel straight? I’m attempting to cut the pocket at an angle, and it isn’t the easiest thing to do, I’m finding out. First, I’ve had some moveme…

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Hi Joe, I would recommend putting the taper in the neck pocket, not the neck. Maybe you need thinner shims to solve your router depth issue. I would glue the fingerboard onto the neck and have that as…
Private member DiscussionElectric Repair

Neck Shim

I just had something happen that I can't understand, and I am looking for theories. I was working on an '80s Kramer. The action could not be lowered any further than about 5/64" -- as in no further downward adjustment in the Floyd Rose -- so I removed the neck in case there was a shim in there. There was not. I put the neck back on and the action was now considerably higher. So off with the neck again, and I noticed the imprint of a coi…

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Not super tight... but the screw holes in the body would not allow the screws to pass through without a screw driver, like a lot of guitars. That might have been enough to do this. This seems to confi…
Private member DiscussionFolk, Bluegrass, Irish, Old Time Instruments

Blue Comet Mandolin in for a setup...

I have a ©1930s Blue Comet mando on the bench for a setup. The plan is to return to the original floating bridge, but I'm concerned it may be worn out! These aren't valuable instruments in today's market, but this one has been in my client's family for four generations. The neck is at an odd angle, so it may need resetting. If anyone has any special knowledge about these instruments, don't be shy!

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Private member DiscussionNeck Reset Database

1931 Maurer style 489 neck joint

Pretty standard dovetail joint with the pocket 1/8th inch further north. I angled the bit through the 13th fret slot (12 fret guitar) and managed to get the neck off without any complications. I don’t know how earlier or later Larson made instruments compare to this one.

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Ian Davlin
Awesome! Thanks for the intel.
Private member DiscussionFolk, Bluegrass, Irish, Old Time Instruments

Mandolin Neck Attached at Odd Angle

This rather old mandolin (20's or 30's?) requires a neck reset to make it playable. The neck is attached at an angle to the body. Does anyone know, or have an educated guess, as to how the neck is attached to the body?

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Completed mandolin with wedge under fingerboard to achieve optimal action. New nut, new bridge, and tuner grommets installed.
Private member DiscussionAcoustic Repair

76’ D-35 neck reset

Hey looths, Thoughts on process on this here guitar. I have a D-35 that has… 1) a drastic bow in the neck 2) quite a shallow neck angle So diagnosis is, without an adjustable rod, I will need to compression fret this neck to get it back straight, and then proceed with a neck reset. I’m wondering how fellow looths would approach this. Pull the neck and do the refret, then adjust the angle. Or do the reftret, and get the neck relief where we…

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Thanks @member and @member for the tips. I’m ordering CF rods now and will definitely install them. I’ve done 20-30 neck resets at this point and there’s still two points that give me gru…
Private member DiscussionTools and Jigs

LMII Neck angle jig templates

Happy New year everyone!!! I have an LMII neck angle jig but only have the dove tail templates. Would like to try a bolt on for my next acoustic build. With LMII's unfortunate departure do you know where I can get the templates for the mortise and tenon? Is anyone making these? perhaps our friends fortunate enough to have a CNC? I tried making one for a ukelele build but with the tools I have, not confident in the accuracy. Any leads are…

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Try contacting Robie O'Brien. It is my understanding that the design came from him and he worked closely with LMI for years.
Private member DiscussionGeneral

Hoffner Bass neck reglue

I have a Hoffner bass with a neck that broke loose. The main problem seems to be that that neck was loosely fit and was relying on a thick layer of glue at the bottom of the neck pocket to hold it in place, it looks like some shimming is in order. My question is about getting the neck angle correct. With the bridge thumbscrews at the bottom of their adjustment, should a straight edge on the finger board touch the top of bridge, or the to…

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Private member DiscussionGeneral

Neck Off Center on Resonator Tricone

I recently installed a new "Billet T-Bridge" on a Mule tricone resonator guitar. The neck center line on this instrument is pointing 9/32" toward the treble side of the end pin. This means the saddle has to be as far to the treble side as possible so that the strings line up on the neck. This makes the angle of the treble strings coming out of the tailpiece more splayed than the bass strings. The guitar is coming back, as the player s…

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Private member DiscussionNeck Reset Database

Suzuki "Three S" OM - circa 1970s

This is a Suzuki violin company 'Three S' OM-style guitar, circa 1970s. This particular instrument was sold in the Japanese domestic market (my customer purchased it in Japan) but I've seen others in circulation here in Australia so presumably some were exported too. Sides and back are laminated rosewood, the top is solid spruce. Although this ended up being a relatively standard reset, I feel like this is worth documenting as prior to…

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